experiences from those who have tried allergy shots

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yay or nay?

 

 

[Ottakee]

I did them.about 30+ years ago and had significant improvement until about 2-3 years ago but now Allegra 180 and a nose spray and I am fine.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I did them.about 30+ years ago and had significant improvement until about 2-3 years ago but now Allegra 180 and a nose spray and I am fine.

 

Is that a prescription strength?

[Lanny]

I took them for a year or two when I was a kid.  Obviously the drugs are probably much better now, but IMO it was a total waste of time and money. I think you might try it for a month or so and see if you think there is improvement but I wouldn't do it for a year or 2 without seeing improvement.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I took them for a year or two when I was a kid.  Obviously the drugs are probably much better now, but IMO it was a total waste of time and money. I think you might try it for a month or so and see if you think there is improvement but I wouldn't do it for a year or 2 without seeing improvement.

 

From what I understand it does take a year or two to see an improvement.  I assume I can still take allergy pills while doing that though (if not then forget it..I can't wait 2 years for relief).

[LinRTX]

Yes you can take allergy pills while taking the shots. My husband has severe allergies to several types of grass, weed, tree pollens. The shots make life tolerable for him. He has been taking for years and still needs shots weekly. My daughters have also been taking shots -- one no longer is and her allergies are so much better than before shots. The other only does shots every other week now. I'm not certain how long she has been doing them.

[Lanny]

From what I understand it does take a year or two to see an improvement. I assume I can still take allergy pills while doing that though (if not then forget it..I can't wait 2 years for relief).

I would be very skeptical about the idea that it might take that long before you might possibly see improvement. Is that what a Board Certified Allergist says? I went twice a week for shots then once a week and then every 2 weeks. That's when I was a boy and I have not forgotten. If you go for 1 or 2 years and see improvement is the protection permanent or do you need to keep going for more shots?

 

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[Catwoman]

From what I understand it does take a year or two to see an improvement. I assume I can still take allergy pills while doing that though (if not then forget it..I can't wait 2 years for relief).

I have considered allergy shots, too, but by the time I think about getting them, my allergies are already in full swing and I know the shots take many months to start working, so I talk myself out of getting them... and then the next year rolls around and I wish I had started them the year before...

 

I do this every year. It's like a ritual of stupidity and self-loathing that I can't seem to give up. :D

[Seasider]

One of my children had them from age 6 to 10. Vast improvement.

[marbel]

My kids have been getting them since 2013.  The allergist suggests getting them for 5 years.  The longer you get the shots, the longer the effects last.

 

It did take over a year to see a marked improvement.  The doc explained this to us. They started in September so spring allergies that first year hit them as hard as ever. But every year it is less and less.  At this point they rarely have issues. 

 

One of my kids had such bad allergies he had behavioral problems in the summer.  Turns out he is allergic to grass and pretty much every tree that grows in the US.  Except the cottonwood, which doesn't grow in either place he has lived.   

 

I expect my kids will go for the full 5 years, though since they are both over 18 they could stop at any time.  It's a hassle, for sure, and they hate going. But even they can see the benefit.   When they were younger, I always got them a little treat afterward. They don't need that anymore.  :-)

[SparklyUnicorn]

I have considered allergy shots, too, but by the time I think about getting them, my allergies are already in full swing and I know the shots take many months to start working, so I talk myself out of getting them... and then the next year rolls around and I wish I had started them the year before...

 

I do this every year. It's like a ritual of stupidity and self-loathing that I can't seem to give up. :D

 

This is EXACTLY what I do.  But as of late my allergies are becoming a year round thing.  I have a sinking suspicion I've developed an allergy to my cats.  : ( 

 

So...I'm going to give it a try.  I have an appointment on the 6th for testing.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Thanks so much.  I'm glad to hear it has worked with some people.  I've had allergies all my life and I'm just so sick of them.  I don't know why exactly I've waited so long to give this a shot!

 

 

[Joules]

Just be sure to wait the amount of time that they require for a reaction.  I was a few months in and went into anaphylactic shock from my shot at the 15 minute mark.  Don't know if they would have worked for me as I was too scared to try again.  (I was only 20 at the time.)

[SparklyUnicorn]

Just be sure to wait the amount of time that they require for a reaction.  I was a few months in and went into anaphylactic shock from my shot at the 15 minute mark.  Don't know if they would have worked for me as I was too scared to try again.  (I was only 20 at the time.)

 

Scary!  Thanks for the heads up.

[Selkie]

Just be sure to wait the amount of time that they require for a reaction.  I was a few months in and went into anaphylactic shock from my shot at the 15 minute mark.  Don't know if they would have worked for me as I was too scared to try again.  (I was only 20 at the time.)

 

My dh also went into anaphylactic shock from an allergy shot. Very scary! That was the end of allergy shots for him. He'd been getting them for several years and didn't feel they helped his allergies much anyway. 

[Clemsondana]

Allergy shots have changed my life. It took around a year to get real results. You can take antihistamines during that time - actually, with the advice of an allergist, you can take more than I would have tried on my own. I live in a place that is regularly in the top 5 spots for allergy problems in the US and have both indoor and seasonal allergies. After 2 years on the shots, I can now go for 3-5 months each year without antihistamines, and when I'm taking daily allegra or zyrtec, I rarely need a dose of benedryl on top of it. Once I got my allergies under control, I was shocked to find that a lot of general icky symptoms (aches, vertigo, etc) were all inflammation/allergy problems. My quality of life has improved dramatically. It took a long time to get me to a maintenance dose because I kept having localized reactions, but at this point I go once/month.

[Bootsie]

I had them as a child and saw great improvement (probably age 11-14).  As an adult I began having major allergy problems that were developing into sinus infections and causing other health problems; we got a dog (which I did not realize I would be allergic to) and moved to an area with pecan trees (which I did not realize I was allergic to).  So, I had allergy shots for a couple of years around 40 years of age.  The allergists in my state will not allow patients to do injections at home; you must go into the allergist which ends up being almost a two hour event once you consider drive time, twice a week; I just couldn't spend that much time on allergy shots.  However, ENTs would do allergy regiments and allow you to do it at home after a trial with each new dosage in the office (and you had to have an Epipen.)  My husband has done several series of allergy shots, also, and feels as if they have really helped him. 

[Pippen]

Another vote for allergy shots changed my life. Later when my allergies were more under control I had sinus surgery to clear out the chronically inflamed tissue and that made another huge improvement for me. 

[wendyroo]

My brother got them for about 5 years when he was a tween and young teen.  It made a huge difference, but he says that the allergies are now coming back (he is 32).  He talks about starting shots up again, but hasn't yet followed through.

 

My husband got them for about 3 years when he was recently out of college.  It helped tremendously for over a decade, but when we moved half way across the country the allergies came back (which the allergist says is common).  My husband put up with the allergies for about 5 years until our second son needed to start getting shots and then DH started getting them as well.

 

My second son is allergist to pretty much everything in the environment: trees, grasses, weeds, molds, spores, fur, feathers, etc.  He started allergy shots when he was 2 (he is now 6).  He still has significant allergies, but the shots make them manageable with inhalers and oral medications.  We have tried many times stepping him down to a maintenance schedule (once a month or less), but every time we try his asthma and allergies flair.  At this point I expect he will be getting the shots every week or two for the foreseeable future.

 

Wendy

[Lanny]

Just be sure to wait the amount of time that they require for a reaction. I was a few months in and went into anaphylactic shock from my shot at the 15 minute mark. Don't know if they would have worked for me as I was too scared to try again. (I was only 20 at the time.)

The possibility of going into Shock would result in a NO decision from me if I was considering Allergy shots again. What if the Shock hits after you leave the doctors office? My youngest Uncle almost died in his early 20s after getting a Penicillin shot. He was in his car leaving the parking lot of UCLA Medical Center and told the guard to get him back into the hospital. At first they thought he'd had a Heart Attack. They gave him Blood transfusion and he survived.

 

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[Ottakee]

Is that a prescription strength?

It is the original prescription Strength but it is now over the counter.

[TrixieB]

I did for about a year.  It helped enough that I didn't have to take daily meds for quite a few years.  The doctor said that the shots work better for some allergens than others.

[Daria]

I took them for a year or two when I was a kid.  Obviously the drugs are probably much better now, but IMO it was a total waste of time and money. I think you might try it for a month or so and see if you think there is improvement but I wouldn't do it for a year or 2 without seeing improvement.

 

My son's doctor told me to expect that it would take 2 years to see improvement.  In the first month it's just about desensitization, as the doses are very very tiny.

[Selkie]

The possibility of going into Shock would result in a NO decision from me if I was considering Allergy shots again. What if the Shock hits after you leave the doctors office? 

 

That's what happened to my dh. He had waited at the doctor's office for the required amount of time, then left and had just started driving home when the anaphylactic reaction started. He was very fortunate to be able to get back to the doctor's office in time.

[JudoMom]

Dh is over 1.5 years in and he's seen improvement. He gives most of his at home. When they change doses, they do it in the office. He's required to have an epi-pen.

 

He rarely takes allergy meds any more and he used to take them daily.

Edited August 25, 2017 by JudoMom

[ealp2009]

It took years of shots, but I just have to do eye drops and sometimes a zyrect once in a blue moon now. It was worth it too me.

 

 

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[Tap]

Allergy shots changed dd18s life.  She would take Allegra or Zyrtec Plus Benadryl every 4-6 hours.  She was miserable and her asthma was out of control.

 

Shots have made it so she sometimes takes a daily pill in the worst of the season and otherwise is fine.  She still takes a daily inhaler for her Asthma but only needs her rescue inhaler if she is exercising.  She doesn't have random asthma attacks any more.

 

 

[Omma]

Absolutely yay here for both myself and my dc.

[Daria]

Allergy shots combined with sinus surgery made an enormous difference for my kid.  Before shots, his performance on pulmonary function tests when he wasn't having an "attack" was 50% of expected, and with benadryl, zyrtec, allegra (yes both, zyrtec and allegra), singular and nasal steroids his nose was irritated enough that he had constant nosebleeds.  His nose was literally bleeding 50% of the time, lightly, but combined with sneezing, it meant he couldn't be in a classroom.  

 

I agree that the side effects are scary, although his allergist said that pretty much every time someone in their practice had a significant reaction, when they followed up it turned out that they'd failed to report a localized reaction in the past. So, being vigilant about watching the injection site and reporting everything can help mitigate some of the risk.

[bluemongoose]

Alternately, there are also allergy drops instead of shots. I've been doing those and they are working awesomely for me. They work on the same premise as the shots, but you can self administer at home, only have to go into the office about 3 times per season to pick up more, and no needles! The downside is that most insurances do not cover it, so it is oop. For me that runs about $300 per year. It has helped immensely. I used to be severely allergic to grasses and have to carry an EpiPen. Now I can get by without taking even Zyrtec for most of the season. I have completed 2 seasons and have 3 more to go for full effect.

[scholastica]

I've done shots two different times in my life. Years both times. I'm still just as allergic as I was before them. I still can't be near a cat. I still react to tree pollen. The only thing that has truly helped my allergies has been taking probiotics everyday.

[luuknam]

I did them for a couple of years about a decade ago. They seemed to help. This past year I've been worse again though, so I'm considering trying them again. 

 

After the first few weeks, my wife was allowed to administer them to me at home (this was in TX - I have no idea what docs in NY think about this). The doc also gave us a vial of epinephrine in case of anaphylactic shock (no Epipen, because those are crazy expensive vs just a vial of epinephrine). 

[kbutton]

Life-changing! 

 

One thing you should know--the shots cover common airborne allergens. They are not for every kind of pollen everywhere, and neither is the testing. They choose the airborne pollens because the heavier pollens are usually very close to home (your yard, maybe a few neighbor's yards), and they tend to just fall to the ground. The airborne pollens blow for miles and miles (I think I read that ragweed carries fifty miles out to sea). So, if you have a lot of heavy pollens that set you off, avoidance is going to be your best bet.

 

I would definitely get the testing and see what's brewing. If you are allergic to the really common things, I would do it. 

 

I didn't start seeing significant results until 1.5 or 2 years in, and my ragweed allergy didn't start to turn around until my last year of shots. The doctor let me do a few more months when that started getting better.

 

I was allergic to basically every non-food item they tested for in that office. I had to have two different shots to get all the options into the serum.

 

I am also kind of slow to react to things, so I always stayed at least as long as I was supposed to, and if I felt at all "off," I stayed longer. I reported ALL of my local reactions and let them know if I had to use my inhaler more than usual. 

[Sandragood1]

We have had big improvements with allergy shots here. However, different allergists follow different protocols. Some ramp up quickly to get faster results. Some more slowly. You want to consider what will work for you. Ideally the doc could change things based on your response but that doesn't seem to be the case. They like to stick to their protocol.

[greenbeanmama]

My kids have been getting them since 2013.  The allergist suggests getting them for 5 years.  The longer you get the shots, the longer the effects last.

 

It did take over a year to see a marked improvement.  The doc explained this to us. They started in September so spring allergies that first year hit them as hard as ever. But every year it is less and less.  At this point they rarely have issues. 

 

One of my kids had such bad allergies he had behavioral problems in the summer.  Turns out he is allergic to grass and pretty much every tree that grows in the US.  Except the cottonwood, which doesn't grow in either place he has lived.   

 

I expect my kids will go for the full 5 years, though since they are both over 18 they could stop at any time.  It's a hassle, for sure, and they hate going. But even they can see the benefit.   When they were younger, I always got them a little treat afterward. They don't need that anymore.  :-)

 

Could you elaborate on this?  That sounds like what we're dealing with, but neither our family physician or our allergist has offered tangible help, and meds are not seeming to make a big difference...

 

[marbel]

Could you elaborate on this?  That sounds like what we're dealing with, but neither our family physician or our allergist has offered tangible help, and meds are not seeming to make a big difference...

 

 

He was just always very angry in the summer.  He was mean to friends and his sister, and just... couldn't behave.  Turns out he just felt so lousy - couldn't breathe, had an upset stomach from the post-nasal drip, and had headaches, but couldn't really articulate the problem. I'm not sure how we made the connection to allergies but we went and had him tested, and oh  man, was he allergic to a lot, including grass, and we had a field and lived next to someone else's field. This was over 15 years ago, so I have no idea what the protocol is now, but the doc put him on 4 different meds at once, with the advice to get the allergies under control and then we'd work on stopping one at a time to see what worked best.  But once we got the meds right, the behavior problems went away.  For a long time he used a morning spray and pill, and different nighttime spray and pill.   

[greenbeanmama]

He was just always very angry in the summer.  He was mean to friends and his sister, and just... couldn't behave.  Turns out he just felt so lousy - couldn't breathe, had an upset stomach from the post-nasal drip, and had headaches, but couldn't really articulate the problem. I'm not sure how we made the connection to allergies but we went and had him tested, and oh  man, was he allergic to a lot, including grass, and we had a field and lived next to someone else's field. This was over 15 years ago, so I have no idea what the protocol is now, but the doc put him on 4 different meds at once, with the advice to get the allergies under control and then we'd work on stopping one at a time to see what worked best.  But once we got the meds right, the behavior problems went away.  For a long time he used a morning spray and pill, and different nighttime spray and pill.   

 

That sounds very much like my daughter.  Every spring (March-June/July) her behavior is simply awful and out of control.  Lots of flying off the handle, beating up/clawing her (older) siblings, massive temper tantrums, kicking the walls/me.  It finally dawned on me that it seems allergy related, as it has followed this pattern for three years, since she was two.  (It took me looking back at saved calendars to make the connection of when she was at her worst.)  I figured it was because she just felt so cruddy - no one has stellar behavior when they aren't feeling well.  She's carried Epi-pens since she was almost three, and did allergy testing when she was four - tested positive to at least two things in every single category, including most grasses, molds, trees, animals, etc.  The allergist basically said that she isn't *that* allergic to any one thing so he can't really say that it's allergy related and therefore, can't offer much more to help her.  Right now she is on Zyrtec, Singulair, and we're experimenting with different nasal sprays (per the insurance company's hoops to jump through).  She cannot have Benadryl.  I know that her face is still itchy most of the time, but she just shrugs that off as normal.  I'm not sure what else we can put her on to try and improve things for her.  I wish I could find better answers before next spring rolls around.

 

[gaillardia]

At the time, reactions showed I was allergic to house dust and cigarette smoke. Now they say it is an allergy to the droppings of dust mites I think. 

I had shots from about 11 years of age until I was 16 maybe. It worked. I used to be sick all the time growing up, but of course I lived in a house with a smoker. 

For a few years I was okay but when I started having kids I ended up getting most every little sniffle and cough and flu the kids had. 

Since we've moved to the south I have seasonal allergies, just runny nose and some sinus drainage, headaches. I take sudafed or the off-brand because I can't take anything else. Works for me. 

Keeping up with vacuuming and dusting is a big one, as well as making sure the AC air filter is changed at least monthly. 

Definitely hope you can quickly get some relief. I know how hard it can be to feel like poorly all the time.